Safety mechanisms which prohibit vehicles from moving when the operator is not in control of the vehicle are very important. Often times, these safety mechanisms are overly complicated aid require many electronic and mechanical moving parts. It is also difficult to incorporate these safety mechanisms into existing modular and compact vehicle components. This creates a problem because of the tendency for overly complicated and widely dispersed mechanical parts that require maintenance or fail completely.
Therefore, it is necessary for these safety mechanisms to be as simple and effective as possible. However, presently available devices do not deploy a control mechanism attached directly to the shift module that applies a positive mechanical stop mechanism against the shift swing arm, thus physically preventing movement of the swing arm out of the park position until the brake foot pedal is depressed and the ignition key is in the “on” position. Also, previous devices utilize cumbersome non-integral mechanisms that prevent removal of the ignition key when the manual shift lever is in one of the other vehicle operating positions, such as drive, neutral or reverse. In addition, previous shift module devices can be physically forced out of the park position, thereby jeopardizing the safety of the vehicle. These prior devices are also difficult to install on existing vehicles, and to repair, and involve the cooperative function of several parts attached to diverse and distant parts of the vehicle. In addition, a safety solenoid interlock that keeps a vehicle in a park condition until the brake pedal is depressed must be sturdy enough to withstand years of constant use, and be simple enough to require little or no maintenance. The shift module disclosed herein packages the shifting and brake release functions all in one, small integrated compact unit which has minimal moving parts.